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In April, restaurant inspectors from the Maricopa County Environmental Services Department fanned out around the Valley to check on local restaurants.
The inspectors work to keep everyone, from restaurant employees to customers, safe and healthy. They show up unannounced and rate restaurants on a two-tier scale. They check for foundation violations, which are issues that could cause larger problems, and priority violations, major issues that pose a direct threat to safety. A foundational violation may be a blocked sink, which prevents employees from properly washing their hands. Priority violations include issues such as cockroaches or moldy food.
Inspectors can also mark restaurants on a letter grade scale. Any restaurant with three or more priority violations earns a “D.”
The issues that inspectors find must be fixed on the spot. If that’s not possible, the inspector schedules a mandatory reinspection for a few days later.
Inspection reports from every restaurant in the county are available to the public through a searchable online database.
Here are the 11 worst inspections from Phoenix restaurants in April.
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Desi Chowrastha
960 E. Warner Road, Chandler
On April 1, Desi Chowrastha in Chandler received a visit from the health department. The inspector’s findings, however, were no joke. The restaurant racked up seven priority violations related to a broken cooler and food stored at improper temperatures. Milk, cooked rice, garbanzo beans and goat meat were sitting out at room temperature. First aid kits, ibuprofen and other medications, plus containers of butane, were stored above food areas in the kitchen. Bags of flour, onions and dosa batter were stored on the floor. Meats, sauces and cooked vegetables were stored inside plastic utility buckets, which are not food-safe. Food scraps were found under the storage racks, stuck on handles, in the coolers, microwave and on condiment containers. And there was an issue with handwashing. One employee put gloves on without washing their hands. Another touched the walk-in handle and then immediately touched ready-to-eat food.
Alexi’s Family Restaurant
18450 N. 19th Ave.
Alexi’s Family Restaurant got a visit from a health inspector on April 8, resulting in six priority violations. The inspector watched as one employee wearing gloves cracked raw eggs, wiped their hands on their apron, touched bread and then plated bacon. Later, the same employee handled raw beef and then touched cooked bacon. The inspector found three cartons of strawberries with a “significant” amount of blue and white mold. In the refrigerator, raw eggs were stored above soup and lemons. Foods including salsa, sour cream, turkey, roast beef and ham were stored above safe temperatures. Many of those items also had no date markings.
Niro’s Gyros
10826 S. 48th St.
On April 13, Ahwatukee eatery Niro’s Gyros earned three priority violations on its health inspection. The inspector watched as an employee wearing gloves touched raw chicken, removed their gloves, put on new ones and then started working with pita bread and sandwich wrappers. There was also roasted eggplant covered in mold, which the inspection report noted was the second time this violation had been observed. Raw chicken was stored above hummus in the walk-in.
Asiana Market
1134 S. Dobson Road, #104, Mesa
Health inspectors visit all kinds of food businesses, including grocery stores. On April 15, it was Asiana Market’s turn. The Mesa supermarket racked up four priority violations, a mandatory reinspection and an additional reprimand for a “pattern of noncompliance.” Most of the issues were found at the seafood and meat counters. Raw fish was stored above safe temperatures. Employee drinks were sitting on a cutting board used for slaughtering fish. Prescription medications, first aid kits and rubbing alcohol were on the counter above food. Frozen squid was thawing on a prep table at room temperature. A bag of fish tank rocks was blocking the hand sink. The store was also unable to provide the correct paperwork for their sushi and sashimi, cleaning logs for fish tanks or logs for discarding dead fish. A dirty knife with dried and fresh meat was stored as clean. An employee touched trash, and then returned to the counter without washing their hands. In the butcher shop area, single-use containers and trays were stored next to, and on top of work boots used in the meat market. Liquid was pooling underneath the meat-cutting table. And there was an accumulation of food scraps throughout the meat market, prep areas, floors and walk-ins throughout the store. The report noted that, “due to the violations noted on this inspection report, County legal action may result from this inspection.” The report flagged five of the violations as repeat offenses, with one noted as the eighth occurrence.
Zipps Sports Grill
3647 E. Indian School Road
The Arcadia location of Zipps Sports Grill was visited by the health department on April 15 and issued four priority violations. Most of the problems centered around old food. The inspector found salsa from April 7, chicken taco soup from April 5, and sliced turkey from April 3, March 27 and 24. There were several other food items, including open containers of milk and hot dogs, with no date markings at all. The inspector also noted issues with handwashing and turkey chili being held below safe temperatures. In the walk-in, an open container of raw beef was stored above containers of ready-to-eat foods.
Pho Vinh Long Vietnamese Restaurant
4808 N. 35th Ave.
West Valley pho shop Pho Vinh Long received a visit from the health department on April 15 and was issued five priority violations. To kick things off, the inspector watched as an employee picked a hair out of a pork and cabbage dish, before handing it to the server to take to a table. An employee also dumped out a used shrimp basket, and put it back on the shelf as clean. In the back of house, the inspector found an overall dirty kitchen. There was an “excessive amount of adult and juvenile German cockroaches” crawling around. A deli slicer was covered in dried meat, and there was dust and dirt throughout the kitchen, along the walls, in utensil storage racks, under the sinks, in the storage rooms and around the freezers. The kitchen was also in disrepair, with missing coving, broken floor and ceiling tiles, holes in the walls and a back door that was not able to fully close.
Harbor Seafood Cajun House & Ramen
930 W. Broadway Road, #10, Tempe
On April 16, a health inspector stopped by Harbor Seafood Cajun House & Ramen in Tempe and noted three priority violations. The inspector watched a chef cook mussels and shrimp in a wok and then touch them with their bare hands. The kitchen handwashing sink was covered in dirty towels. Another handwash sink near the register was filled with a bucket of dirty water. Cooked rice was improperly stored. Prescription medications were kept on a prep table and above takeout containers. Boiled potatoes and corn were sitting out, and at unsafe temperatures. Towels were used as lids to cover foods throughout the kitchen. And a fly strip hanging directly above the prep table was covered in dead flies.
Yod Thai Eatery
13802 N. Scottsdale Road, #130, Scottsdale
Yod Thai Eatery got a visit from the health department on April 16 and racked up four priority violations. The inspector watched an employee taste a soup with a metal spoon, and then taste a curry with the same dirty spoon. An employee wearing gloves touched raw chicken and then utensils and other kitchen equipment without washing their hands. There was also issues with the sink. The sanitizer section had no sanitizing chemicals, there was an improper spray nozzle and no vacuum breaker.
ATL Wings
70 W. Warner Road, Chandler
On April 27, the Chandler location of ATL Wings got a visit and earned four priority violations and a mandatory reinspection. Chicken pulled from the fryer and supposedly fully cooked measured as cold as 78 degrees inside. First aid kits were stored above the food prep table. Black trash bags were being used to hold sugar and flour. The kitchen needed a deep clean. There was grease and food waste in the nacho cheese dispenser, on kitchen equipment, on the walls, floor, around the fryer and on the storage racks. There were broken and missing floor tiles throughout, with the concrete floor exposed on the cook line.
Chon Thai Food
2330 N. Alma School Road, Chandler
Chon Thai Food received a visit from the health department on April 28, resulting in six priority violations. Many of the issues stemmed from improper handwashing. The inspector watched an employee wearing gloves touch their face and then continue handling food. An employee handling raw chicken touched the walk-in handle without washing their hands. Another wiped their gloved hands on their apron. A cook was cutting and prepping raw chicken right next to open pans of cut cucumber and cabbage, splashing chicken juice onto the ready-to-eat veggies. Tofu was found at 54 degrees. Portions of cooked rice were past their pull date. And the restaurant was using residential refrigerators and freezers, which are not permitted for restaurant use.
Taquería El Chacho
5740 W. Camelback Road, Glendale
Glendale taco stand Taqueria El Chacho received a visit from the health department on April 29, and the inspector effectively shut them down. The mobile food vendor earned three priority violations, seven foundational violations and a mandatory reinspection. Food sales were halted at the inspection and many food items were thrown away, because the manager and owner could not provide proof that it was prepared at an approved location. Salsa, cut lettuce and shredded cheese were all above safe temperatures. Various items that should have been refrigerated were stored in a truck with no ice. Raw meats and vegetables were also present, which needed to be cooked. The vendor did not have permits to cook any food on site. The hand sink was also not working, and the inspector observed a cook repeatedly remove their gloves, use their cell phone and then return to working with food. The inspection report noted that the department may revoke the vendor’s permits.
